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Newton's Laws of Motion

INTERACTIVE 3D PHYSICS LABORATORY

// NEWTON'S FIRST LAW

The Law of Inertia

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity — unless acted upon by a net external force.

ΣF = 0 ⟹ a = 0
velocity remains constant

▸ INERTIA — 3D SURFACE SIMULATION

0.00
6
0°
Ready — set μ=0 and launch to see pure inertia.

▸ FORCE EQUILIBRIUM — 3D VECTORS

0.0
45°
30°
ΣF = 0 → Object in equilibrium. No acceleration.
🛸

VOYAGER 1

Launched 1977, engines off for decades — still travelling at 61,000 km/h through deep space. Pure inertia.

🪑

SEATBELTS

During sudden braking, your body wants to keep moving forward. The seatbelt provides the external force to stop you.

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GEOMETRIC INSIGHT

With ΣF=0, the velocity vector is constant — the object traces a perfectly straight line in spacetime.

⚖️

DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM

Multiple forces can act on an object — if they sum to zero, inertia is still preserved. That's dynamic equilibrium.

// NEWTON'S SECOND LAW

Force = Mass × Acceleration

Acceleration is directly proportional to net force and inversely proportional to mass. The direction of acceleration equals the direction of net force.

F = ma
a = F/m
[N] = [kg·m/s²]

▸ F=ma — 3D FORCE SIMULATION

60 N
10 kg
a = F/m = 6.00 m/s²

▸ 3D FORCE VECTOR DECOMPOSITION

5
3
4
5 kg
|F| = 7.07 N | a = 1.41 m/s²

▸ INCLINED PLANE — FORCE COMPONENTS

30°
5 kg
0.00
a = g·sin(30°) = 4.90 m/s²
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ROCKET FUEL BURN

As fuel burns, rocket mass decreases. Same engine thrust → acceleration increases over time. Variable-mass F=ma.

🏎️

SPORTS CAR vs TRUCK

Same engine force in both — the sports car (small m) accelerates far faster. Directly from a = F/m.

🌍

FREE FALL

F=mg → a=mg/m=g. Mass cancels! Every object falls at 9.8 m/s² regardless of weight in a vacuum.

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SLOPE = 1/m

Plot F vs a on a graph — you get a straight line through the origin. The slope equals 1/m. Heavier → shallower slope.

// NEWTON'S THIRD LAW

Action & Reaction

For every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force. Force pairs always act on different objects — they never cancel each other.

FAB = −FBA
|action| = |reaction|, 180° opposite

▸ 3D ELASTIC COLLISION

5
5
1.00
F_AB = −F_BA | Momentum conserved

▸ ROCKET PROPULSION — 3D

120 kN
1000
0°
Exhaust ↓ (action) → Rocket ↑ (reaction)

▸ CANNON RECOIL — PAIR VISUALIZATION

5
500
1000 N
p_shell = −p_cannon | momentum conserved
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ROCKET PROPULSION

Gas expelled backward at high velocity → rocket pushed forward. Works perfectly in vacuum — no air needed.

🏊

SWIMMING

Swimmer pushes water backward (action) → water pushes swimmer forward (reaction). You propel via paired forces.

📐

ANTI-PARALLEL VECTORS

Action and reaction are exactly 180° apart, same magnitude, but act on different bodies — so they never cancel.

💥

GUN RECOIL

Bullet fires forward (action) → gun kicks backward (reaction). Same force, but gun is heavier → less acceleration.

INERTIA — 3D SURFACE SIMULATION

FORCE EQUILIBRIUM — 3D VECTORS

F=ma — 3D FORCE SIMULATION

3D FORCE VECTOR DECOMPOSITION

INCLINED PLANE — FORCE COMPONENTS

3D ELASTIC COLLISION

ROCKET PROPULSION — 3D

CANNON RECOIL — PAIR VISUALIZATION

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